Carpool Procedures

Our carpool system is designed to offer safe and efficient arrival and dismissal of students who come daily in private vehicles. Safety is our primary concern, not speed. Please be patient. 

General Information 

• Each participating family must communicate their intentions of carpool usage to HGES. Afterwards your family will be issued a carpool number. There is one number per family.
• Families re-use the same number from year to year. Tags are to be returned to the HGES front office if you change schools, move, or wish to no longer carpool. Additional tags are available for $2.00 fee (3 tags in a set, first TWO tags are complimentary). We highly encourage and prefer exact change.
• Please display the tag throughout the carpool and until the child is in the car. If you do not have a carpool number displayed, you will be asked to park and go to the office to sign your child out.
• All carpool students must be dropped off and picked up at the front carpool loop. For safety, NO students are to be dropped off in parking lots. Therefore, drop off the child first in the carpool, then park your car if you are coming into the building for meetings or to volunteer.
• Holly Grove Schools have two lanes: the left lane is for Holly Grove Middle, and the right lane is for Holly Grove Elementary. Please do not try to use the other lane to cut or break the line.
• Please be sure your children know how to fasten and unfasten the seatbelt/car seat, so they can enter and exit the car quickly.
• Please have your children gather their belongings prior to getting out of the car. Give all hugs, kisses, and reminders prior to unloading.
• For the safety of the students, ALL STUDENTS MUST EXIT FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR. This may require you to move car seats.
• DO NOT pass stopped cars in the carpool loop.
• Please DO NOT talk or text on cell phones as you pull into the loading area. This jeopardizes the safety of students, staff, and other parents in the loading zone.
• Please note that staff and Safety Patrol may open the doors to provide additional assistance and/or to expedite the flow of traffic. However, this is not an expectation or requirement, but a courtesy extended by attendants.
• All students should stay in the car and not lean out of windows or sunroofs.
• Please pull up close behind the car in front of your car and follow HGES staff directions. 

Morning Procedures 

• 8:45 a.m. – 9:10 a.m. (this ensures that students will not be late for class that begins at 9:15 a.m.)
• DO NOT LET CHILDREN OUT OF THE CAR PRIOR TO THE APPEARANCE OF HGES STAFF this will be at or after 8:45 (we use school time, not individual times - wait for the bell)
• The lead car should pull all the way down closest to the media center entrance door to allow for more vehicles to unload.
• Pull up in line as far as possible. Do not leave large gaps in the line. Do not stop at the walkway to the building.
• Do not pull out of line to attempt to exit the line before cars in front of you move forward. This is very dangerous as students could unload from both sides of cars.
• Students are to exit from the passenger side of the car only.
• Students dropped off habitually early will be required to sign in students in the front office after 8:45 a.m.
• Do not drop students off outside if after 9:15 - you must sign them in. 

Afternoon Procedures 

• Cars should line up single file in the order of arrival. Do not leave cars unattended in the carpool line. Do not pass cars.
• Your carpool number must be prominently displayed in your front window until you have your child in the car. If someone other than you is picking up your child, they MUST have that number.
• As cars arrive at the school they need to go to the END of the carpool line.
• School personnel will walk down the line of cars to enter your carpool number into the system. Your number will be displayed for the students in the order in which you line up.
• Students are dismissed from their classrooms. Students view their highlighted number on the Computer Screen or Promethean Board and then proceed to the corresponding placement outside. Please stress to your children that it is extremely important that they pay close attention to the screen to identify their number and then come quickly to the carpool line. Cars idling in the loading zone waiting for students delay everyone further back in the line.
• Students must wait on the hedgehog sidewalk logo until their car has made a full stop in the loading zone.
• Students are expected to be picked up by 3:55 p.m.
• Students not picked up on time must be signed out in the office, for safety and documentation purposes. Families who are chronically late will be required to use the bus as a mode of transportation or secure an after-school daycare provider.